On This Day

Matthew Barrero

For most of the 1980s, the basketball world was controlled by two teams: the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Prior to the 1986-87 season, L.A. and Boston each claimed three titles, respectively (Lakers – 1980, ’82, ’85 / Celtics – ’81, ’84, ’86).

The two teams only met twice in the NBA during that span (1984 and 1985).

In the 1985-86 season, the rivals were destined to match up in the Finals, once again, as both entered the postseason as No. 1 seeds in their conferences.

Boston cruised to the championship round only losing one game, but a 4-1 series loss to an improbable Houston Rockets team in the Western Conference Finals, prevented the Lakers from a third-straight meeting with the Celtics.

Larry Bird and Co. would capture franchise championship No. 16 with a 4-2 series win over the Rockets. Bird had been at the forefront of league, in terms of individual performances, capturing the league MVP in three-straight seasons (1983-86) and Finals MVP honors twice (1984 and 1986).

From the start, the 1986-87 season breathed redemption for the Los Angeles Lakers. An opening night loss to the same Rockets squad that knocked the Purple and Gold from reaching the Finals just six months prior had many questioning if the Lakers’ dominance in the 80s was over.

“I was trying to convey to the players that, I think, everybody wanted to see just how total this was,” head coach Pat Riley said in an interview. “Everybody wanted to see just exactly how over the hill we were. Everybody wants to see your demise. That was the final blow and we rose out of the ashes after that game.”

L.A. promptly quieted the naysayers with a nine-game win streak and went on to finish the opening month of play with a 12-2 record (best in the NBA). Riley reached 300 victories sooner than any coach in NBA history and earned November’s NBA Coach of the Month honors.

A December clash at the Boston Garden emphasized the bitter rivalry between the two elite franchises and had all the makings of a preview of the season’s Finals. A high intensity affair ended in favor of Los Angeles, who’s 117-110 victory broke Boston’s 48-game home winning streak.

With an injury to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar toward the end of December, the Lakers looked to find a new leader to step up in the absence of their big man.

“The conversation I had with Magic was very straightforward,” Riley said in an interview. “I want him to be more offensive-minded because it’s going to help the team win.”

The 27-year-old guard had already proven what kind of creative playmaker he was in his first seven seasons and now was in a position to focus more on scoring. The new role was highlighted during an eight-game winning streak and had the whole league wondering if Magic had elevated his game to an entirely new level.

“They say I’m the new and improved Magic Johnson like some detergent or a soft drink” Magic said in an interview. “I’m not new and improved. I’m the same Magic but because I got added responsibility of scoring, it’s made me a better player.”

Johnson had averaged more than 20 points in a season only once (1980-81) through his first seven years but by season’s end of the 1986-87 campaign, he would post 23.9 points (career high) and lead the league with 12.2 assists.

At the All-Star break, L.A. was at the top of the league standings with a 35-12 record. Right on their coattails – the Boston Celtics at 34-12.

Prior to their second meeting of the regular season, the Lakers bolstered their lineup with the acquisition of veteran center Mychal Thompson from San Antonio. Lakers general manager Jerry West had been eyeing Thompson to play a pivotal role as a backup to an almost 40-year-old Abdul-Jabbar.

Thompson’s impact was immediately felt in a showdown of the league’s two top teams at The Fabulous Forum. In 29 minutes off the bench, the newcomer registered 10 points and four rebounds. It didn’t come easy, however, as the Lakers found themselves down 17 points toward the end of the third quarter.

A dramatic rally led by Magic thwarted a would-be Celtics win and with a 39 point, 10 assist double-double, Johnson emerged as the front-running candidate as the NBA’s most valuable player.

The Lake Show would go on two separate winning streaks of 10 and 11 games late in the season and finish with 65-17 record: best in the NBA.

As a one-seed, L.A. matched with Denver in the First Round but the under .500 Nuggets were no match as the Showtime Lakers swept the series in three games, winning by a margin of +82.

In the Western Conference Semifinals, the Lakers met with the Golden State Warriors, who overcame a 2-0 series deficit to defeat Utah. The young Warriors team made the series competitive, but the Lakers matched the spirit and grabbed a 3-0 series lead.

A Golden State win in Game 4 foiled a second consecutive sweep for Los Angeles, but the Lakers handled business on home court for a 4-1 series win and earned a spot in the Western Conference Finals for the sixth consecutive time.

Revenge would escape the minds of the Lakers for the WCF as the seven-seed Seattle SuperSonics not only bested the two-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the First Round but knocked Houston out of contention in six games in the West Semis.

The Lakers took Game 1 by five and prior to Game 2, Magic Johnson was awarded for his regular season performance with the league’s MVP.

“This award, I dedicate, and it belongs to my dad because of all that he’s done for me,” Johnson expressed in his speech. “My dad used to play. I’m living for him in a sense.”

Magic added a special thanks to the Lakers front office, his teammates and to Lakers Nation, then promptly recorded a 20-10-10 triple-double (21st of his career) to give L.A. a 2-0 series lead.

In the Emerald City for Game 3, the offensive prowess of James Worthy and Defensive Player of the Year Michael Cooper, played pivotal roles to lead the Lakers to victory. Worthy tallied a career high 39 points and Cooper would make a crucial block late in the game to preserve the win.

To their credit, Seattle made every game close, but Los Angeles was playing their best basketball when it mattered most. Despite a mighty effort from their counterpart, the Lakers dominated in Game 4 with a 31-point triumph, a sweep for the second time this postseason, and a trip to the Finals for the sixth time in eight seasons.

Five days later, the Celtics would defeat Detroit in Game 7 to earn their third straight trip (fifth time in seven seasons) to the NBA Finals, setting up what is still known today as, perhaps, the greatest rivalry in all sports.

“In ’84 it was a novelty being it was the first time we matched up with them since ’69 in the Finals,” Pat Riley said. “That was 15 years, our kids were babies, and these players had nothing to do with that rivalry. It was new and it was fresh. All new players that had to start playing this series again and all the ghosts of yesteryear, the tradition, and the romance of that series.”

At 11-1 through three rounds in the playoffs, the Lakers were in far better shape and had more energy than the Celtics. Boston handily knocked out Chicago in a three-game sweep but ran the gauntlet against both Milwaukee and Detroit as both series went the full seven.

The fatigue was evident in Game 1, as the Lakers ran circles around their opponent to pick up a 13-point win. The gameplan was much of the same as L.A. carried the momentum and defended home court in Game 2. Behind Michael Cooper’s, then, NBA playoff record six threes, the Lakers won 141-122 and grabbed a 2-0 series lead.

The scene shifted to the Boston Garden, where the Celtics were the victors of 92 of the last 95 home games.

“We know that Boston is a strong team,” Magic said prior to Game 3. “We know it’s going to be tough once we go back there. They don’t have that outstanding home record for nothing.”

Led by Larry Bird and Kevin McHale’s 20-plus point and 10-plus rebound double-doubles, in addition to a somewhat shocking defensive clinic from Greg Kite off the Celtics bench, Boston was back in the series.

As in all championship finals, the fourth game looms as the most pivotal. The Celtics got out of the blocks early and continuously knocked down shot after shot. By the midpoint of the third quarter, Boston found itself up 16 points before Los Angeles closed the gap down to seven by quarter’s end.

The Lakers would eventually tie the game late and be down six points in the final two minutes. Three consecutive misses by Boston allowed the Lakers to overcome a deficit once again but Larry Bird would find the basket for three and after a split of free throws from Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers had one final play to push their series lead.

L.A. turned to their magic man to find the basket. Off the inbounds, Johnson took a few dribbles to his right toward the lane and lofted a baby sky hook over the outstretched arms of Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

Bird would miss long on the other end of the floor in what would have been a game winner and the Magic hook shot gave the Lakers a one-point and a 3-1 lead in the Finals.

The Celtics, still stunned by previous events, started Game 5 off slowly. Eventually, the men in green found their stride and turned out their best game of the series to stave off elimination and keep the Lakers hopes of a title looming.

The Purple and Gold returned to the comfortable confines of The Fabulous Forum for Game 6and the desire for a world championship was felt throughout the building.

Much like they did in Games 1 and 2, the Lakers utilized early fast breaks and an interior offensive strategy to try and wear out the Celtics. Although the efforts were strong, Boston held a five-point halftime lead thanks to McHale’s interior presence and Dennis Johnson’s individual scoring.

Out of halftime, Pat Riley brought Mychal Thompson in to guard McHale and slow the power forward’s drive. Like clockwork, the strategy turned the tables and shifted all momentum back to the Lakers in the early goings of the third.

L.A. never looked back and would outscore the Celtics 55-37 in the second half. Thompson spearheaded a 14-2 run in the third and finished the night with 15 points off the bench. The Lakers’ leading men of Kareem, Magic and Worthy combined for 70 of the team’s 106 points and the celebration was on.

The Lake Show won Game 6 by 13 points and captured franchise title No. 10 and the team’s fourth title in the 1980s. Magic was named Finals MVP for the third time in his career after averaging 21.8 points, 12.2 assists, and 7.7 rebounds.

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On This Day: June 14, 1987 - Lakers Redemption Tour Ends in Glory

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On This Day the Lakers clinched the championship for 1986-87 over the Celtics

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1987 NBA Finals Highlights

Highlights from the 2002 Finals as the Lakers cap their Three-peat.

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2002 NBA Finals Highlights

At the start of the new millennium, the Lakers were at the top of the basketball world. Following a 2000 Finals win over Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers in six games, L.A. would take the 2001 Finals in five games over the Philadelphia 76ers, led by Allen Iverson.

With franchise banner No. 13 now in the rafters, the 2001-02 Lakers team had one goal in mind: do it again.

Despite being the defending champs, the 2002 Lakers were not the best team in the NBA, at least on paper. The wild Western Conference was filled with contenders looking to knock out the Purple and Gold.

The top five seeds in the West all finished with 50-plus wins, Sacramento finished with the best record in the league (61-21), and San Antonio ended the regular season with an identical record as the Lake Show but held the tiebreaker and earned a two-seed.

The Lakers grabbed a three-seed and matched with the Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round, marking the third consecutive season the two met in the playoffs.

In the 2000 WCF, the Lakers would mount the greatest Game 7 comeback in NBA history (down 15 points with 10 minutes left to play) and defeat the Trail Blazers to advance to the Finals. In 2001, L.A. swept Portland in the first round and carried a perfect, undefeated record into the Finals, where they eventually won their second title in as many years.

Los Angeles defended home court without many problems and entered Portland for Game 3, with a chance to close the series (First Round was changed from a five to a seven-game series the next season).

The Blazers made it anything but easy and with 10 seconds remaining in the game, held a two-point lead, as the Lakers looked for a hero. Off the inbounds play, Kobe Bryant handled the ball above the three-point line, took a few dribbles and drove to his right looking to get around his defender, Ruben Patterson (who claimed he was the “Kobe-Stopper”).

Bryant was in fact stopped just outside the key and found a wide-open Robert Horry waiting for a corner three. With a catch-and-shoot release, Horry’s shot swished through the basket and gave the Lakers the 92-91 victory, the series sweep, and their seven-consecutive playoff win over Portland.

“The play was designed for Kobe to go one-on-one with Ruben [Patterson],” Horry said. “But he found me in the corner, dished it to me, and I was able to make the three.”

“We knew Rob was going to hit the shot,” Shaquille O’Neal said in an interview. “He’s been hitting shots like that his whole career.”

Following the first-round win, L.A. drew a Conference Semifinals meeting with another familiar opponent: the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers swept the Spurs in the WCF the previous season in a dominating fashion, winning by a margin of +89.

The 2002 matchup was much closer as the Purple and Gold won the series in five games by a margin of just +21. Heading into the WCF, the Lake Show had lost just twice in their last 25 playoff games, with many wondering when the franchise would be tested.

The Kings had spent years building a team to contend with the Lakers, but so far it had been to no avail, especially in the playoffs. The two teams met in the previous two playoffs: 2000 First Round (L.A won 3-2) and 2001 Conference Semis (L.A. won 4-0).

The Lakers were unphased by the challenge and promptly stole home court with a 106-99 victory in Game 1. The Kings would not go quietly as they picked up back-to-back wins in games 2 and 3, setting up a pivotal Game 4.

“Now we have a fight on our hands,” Shaquille O’Neal emphasized in the post-Game 3 interview. “We just have to fight. We play better when we have to fight anyways.”

The Kings would erase any doubt that they were a threat to the Lakers chance to make history. Sacramento held a 24-point lead during the game and looked as though they were going to grab a stranglehold 3-1 series lead, heading back to Arco Arena for Game 5.

The Kings fumbled through the second half, leaving the door wide open for the Lakers to mount the comeback. With two minutes in the game, Sacramento held a four-point lead as the teams traded shots on four-straight possessions.

Shaq would be fouled on the ensuing possession and knock down both free throws to cut the deficit to just one point with 27 seconds. The Lakers fouled Vlade Divac, who split a pair of his own free throws, setting up one final play for L.A. to tie or win the game.

With 11 seconds in the game, Kobe gathered the ball on the inbounds play. With a dribble and a drive, Bryant missed the layup but luckily landed in the hands of Shaq. O’Neal had his shot rejected and Divac slapped the ball to what he thought was a vacant area.

There stood Horry who, with one perfect bounce, grabbed the ball and lined up the perfect shot.

For the second time this postseason, Horry displayed his clutch element and knocked down one of the biggest shots in Lakers history, still to this day.

The Kings would take a one-point win at home in Game 5 and the celebration after set the tone for the remainder of the series.

“We were upset,” Kobe recalled in an interview. “They’re out there celebrating like we’re done. This was an end all, be all game for them.”

The Lakers responded with a four-point win at Staples Center, setting up the two best words in sports: Game Seven.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, the odds were far from their favor. No team had won Game 7 in the Conference Finals or NBA Finals playing on the road since 1982 (Philadelphia defeated Boston in the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals). On top of that, road teams held a record of 0-13 over the 20-year span.

“Game 7 was going to be the truest test of all the lessons we learned over the years,” Rick Fox recollected. “An opportunity to go out on the road and do the impossible.”

Much like the previous six games in the series, the seventh and final game provided all the dramatics from the opening tip to the final horn. A back-and-forth affair sent the game to overtime; the first overtime game in Conference Finals history.

Both teams would match each other shot-for-shot and with the game tied at 106, the Lakers turned up the defensive pressure and capitalized on the offensive end of the court. Sacramento did not score on their final six possessions and the Lakers closed the book on the Kings dream season.

The team set its eyes on the NBA Finals and an opponent who had shocked the basketball world with their one season turnaround. In the season prior, the New Jersey Nets finished 30 games under .500 (26-56) and had missed the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years.

With former Laker Byron Scott at the helm and the offseason acquisitions of Jason Kidd (traded Stephon Marbury to Phoenix) and draft picks Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins (traded draft pick Eddie Griffin) to go along with rising star Kenyon Martin, the Nets made a dramatic one-eighty and finished 52-30 for the best record in the Eastern Conference (their best record since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976).

In their playoff run, New Jersey would beat Indiana in the opening round, go five games with Charlotte in the Conference Semifinals, and knock out the three-seeded Boston Celtics in six games to advance to the franchise’s first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals.

The David vs Goliath matchup was set and unfortunately for the Nets in this version of the tale, Goliath would be too much to handle.

The defending champs had everything clicking in Game 1 and carried the momentum for a dominating 106-83 Game 2 victory. The Nets utilized the change in venue and gave the Lake Show a run for its money in Game 3. Despite the threat, the Lakers applied their championship mentality into the three-point win and found themselves just one win from history.

No Lakers team in Minneapolis or Los Angeles had ever won the NBA Finals in a sweep. But this 2002 team had destiny on their side. With their killer instinct and a full team effort, the Lakers completed the sweep and joined the short list of teams to three-peat.

“There can only be one champion and we have a worthy one,” NBA commissioner David Stern said to the arena. “There was a triple-crown this year, but it was the Los Angeles Lakers. They are a team for the ages as they get better before our very eyes. Congratulations to the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles.”

With an NBA Finals average of 36.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks, Shaquille O’Neal was awarded Finals MVP and became the third player in NBA history to earn Finals MVP three times. He also joined Michael Jordan (1991-93 and 1996-98) as the only two players to win the award three consecutive times.

Kobe was just as good, with a four-game average of 26.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.8 steals. Head coach Phil Jackson surpassed Pat Riley for most career playoffs wins (156) and won his ninth ring, tying him with Red Auerbach for most all-time.

While many teams have gotten close to three-peating in recent years (i.e. Lakers 2009-10, Miami 2012-13, and Golden State 2017-18), no team has been able to join the ranks of the best. This Lakers dynasty is, still, the most recent team to three-peat and is one that will never be forgotten, not only in Los Angeles, but the entire NBA.

“It’s a dream come true for myself to be mentioned in the same breath as [Michael] Jordan and [Bill] Russell,” Kobe said in an interview. “Only a couple of teams have been able to three-peat and to be one of them - it says a lot about our team.”

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On The Day: June 12, 2002 - Dazzling. Dominant. Dynasty. Lakers Three-peat.

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Magic with the hook

At the start of the 1980s, the Lakers and Boston Celtics were at the forefront of basketball pageantry. Both teams had won three titles from 1980-1986 and matched up in back-to-back Finals in 1984 and 1985 leading to a third meeting in 1987 (third time in four seasons).

“Nobody gets you up more than Boston,” Johnson remarked during an interview prior to the ’87 Finals. “As long as Larry [Bird] is on the other side and I’m on this side, it’s going to always be that. Whether it’s the All-Star Game, an Old Timers Game, or even at a park we’re going to want to beat each other.”

The rivalry was real, and still considered one of the best in all sports. The Lakers took both meetings during the regular season by a margin of just 10 points total.

When it came time for the Finals, the Lakers entered with an 11-1 record, which included two sweeps over Denver and Seattle. The defending champion Celtics, meanwhile, were 11-6 and coming off back-to-back grueling seven-game series against Milwaukee and Detroit.

The Lakers’ objective was to run the Celtics ragged and in Game 1, Los Angeles made Boston look like they were standing still. The fatigue was apparent for the men wearing green, and the Purple and Gold ran away with a 13-point victory to open the championship round.

The momentum carried over into a Game 2 and much like their performance two days prior, the Lakers dominated the Celtics once again and defended home court. Thanks in large part to, a then NBA playoff record, six three-pointers from Michael Cooper, L.A. grabbed a 141-122 win, and a 2-0 series lead as the teams commuted East for three games in Boston.

The Celtics 109-103 win in Game 3 set up a pivotal Game 4 as Boston looked for the tie and Los Angeles looked to get to within one win of the franchise’s 10th title.

The Celtics came out hot in Game 4 and held an eight-point lead at the half. Despite Bird only scoring two points in the first half, the Lakers could not find any answers for his teammates.

Poetically, Bird found his shot and pushed the Lakers’ deficit to 16 midway through the third. A Lakers surge finally found some response to the Celtics offense and closed the quarter down only seven.

In the early goings of the fourth, Johnson and Bird collided knees first on a loose-ball play. Johnson grabbed at his left knee and would be forced to the bench, but the recovery was quick as Magic limped back into the game with eight minutes remaining and his team down five.

L.A. tied the game at 93 apiece with about six minutes remaining but the Celtics regained an eight-point lead with four consecutive makes.

Down 103-97 with two minutes left, the Lakers took advantage of some Celtics miscues and score three consecutive shots of their own to grab a one-point lead with 29 seconds in the game.

Following a timeout, Bird would knock down a corner three in front of the Lakers bench to give Boston a two-point lead. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was fouled on the other end of the court and knock down his first foul shot. He’d miss the second, but the rebound was knocked out of bounds by the Celtics, setting up one final play for the Lakers to win or lose the ballgame.

The inbounds pass came to Magic at the left corner with seven seconds. With a fake and a few dribbles to his right, Johnson went up with, what many know as Kareem’s patented skyhook, and swished the shot with two seconds left, giving the Lakers a one-point lead.

The Celtics inbounded the ball at half court and Dennis Johnson found a semi-wide-open Larry Bird in the same area where he knocked down his previous three-pointer.

With a hope and a prayer, the ball left his hands, knocked off the backside of the rim and fell harmlessly to the floor, solidifying the Lakers’ dramatic Game 4 win and a 3-1 series lead.

“He’s the MVP of the league and made some awfully big plays out there,” Bird commented on Johnson postgame. “He made everything happen out there and made that one hook shot in the middle. You’re probably going to get beat on a skyhook, but you don’t expect it to be from Magic.”

“We both do what we have to do to win the game,” Johnson said. “That’s the difference between us and a lot of people because we’ll take that shot. I won’t take the three like him, but I will take the two and under.”

Boston won Game 5, but Los Angeles finished the job back home in Game 6 and tie a bow on a spectacular season with the team’s 10th NBA title.

Magic, of course, was named Finals MVP. With one dramatic shot, Johnson assured himself of his fourth title and his rightful place on the list of NBA superstars.&nbsp;

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On This Day: June 9, 1987 – Magic's Hook Shot Sinks Celtics

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On This Day: 5/26/02 - Horry Game Winner

In the land where the flair for the dramatics is a staple for any Hollywood ending, it was on this night two decades ago “Big Shot Bob” solidified his clutch nickname.

Twenty years to the day, the 3-seed Lakers matched with the 1-seed Sacramento Kings in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. L.A. grabbed a win in Game 1 before Sacramento took the next two, setting up a pivotal fourth game.

The Kings dropped 40 points and jumped out to a 20-point lead at the end of the first quarter. A 31-25 second quarter for the Lake Show cut the deficit down to 14 as the two went into the half.

A competitive third by the Purple and Gold set the stage for a final quarter that will forever be remembered because of one man: Robert Horry.

Vlade Divac would split two free throws to give Sacramento a 99-97 with 11 seconds in the game as the Lakers used a timeout to set up one final play.

Many eyes were on both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal for the final shot, considering the two had 25-plus points to lead the team.

“The only thing going through my mind was I hope Kobe is able to beat Doug Christie off the dribble and get to the basket,” Horry recalled in a later interview. “If not, we always had the big fella in Shaq to get the rebound.”

Off the inbounds play, Kobe possessed the ball at the wing with Christie providing a heavy defensive pressure. Bryant dribbled to his right (Christie still glued to his hip) and drove to the basket for a contested shot against Divac.

The ball would hit off the front rim into the hands of O’Neal, who promptly went back up for a layup. Divac again made a great defensive play, blocked the shot, and tipped the ball to what appeared to be a vacant area on the court.

While nine players crashed the boards in an effort to grab a rebound, Horry stood alone at the top of the key. The ball took one perfect bounce into his hands and the shot was put up as a determined Chris Webber sprinted towards him trying to make a block.

“Bryant putting the moves on Christie. Rebound O’Neal, coming up short. Horry for the win…Yes.”

The STAPLES Center crowd erupted as Horry was mobbed by his fellow teammates in celebration following his series-tying shot.

“Oh, I knew it was good,” Horry said. “When you’re playing good, you’re feeling good, and you’re feeling hot, and you let it go and know it’s going to splish-splash.”

Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said in his interview with the media postgame, “I didn’t draw it up like that, but we got the shot we wanted.”

L.A. trailed by as many as 24 points and only led twice during the entire contest: when they scored the first two points of the game and when “Big Shot Bob” hit the final shot.

This marked the second-largest comeback in Lakers playoff history (a 29-point comeback in 1989 vs Seattle is the largest).

Horry scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter alone and without his buzzer-beating winner, who knows if the Lakers defeat the Kings (Sacramento would win Game 5) and earn the chance for a three-peat.

Robert Horry finished his career a seven-time NBA champion, is one of only four players in NBA history to have won a championship with three teams (Houston - 1994, 1995 / Lakers – 2000-02 / San Antonio – 2005, 2007), and will go down as one of the greatest clutch performers in NBA history.